A Young Woman's Heart

“You’re pretty much the same as him at times like this.”

"whispering sound--"

"Besides, it's not like we've never showered together before, why are you so excited?" Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes at her. "I'm going to wash myself first, otherwise I won't be able to sleep tonight."

"Let's go together." Li Wanyan also stood up with a towel in her hand.

"Then let the three of us shower together!" Hua Yinyin naturally didn't want to be left behind.

"If only there were a stream here," Mo Xueyao couldn't help but mutter to herself.

Bathed in the cool moonlight, soaking in the stream with fish swimming around me, it felt quite picturesque.

"Oh dear, there might be snakes in the streams and rivers at night!"

"Luckily, there's no one in the mountains..." Mo Xueyao's face flushed slightly.

The lights in the cabin were off; there was only a candle lit on the table.

Hua Yinyin's props are indeed very complete; even a single candle has its own dedicated candlestick to prevent it from burning anything else.

"So, you have to take your clothes off inside and then go outside to shower?"

"Isn't that right?" Hua Yinyin replied with great certainty.

"Ugh—" Mo Xueyao's face scrunched up. "It feels weird. If anyone saw us, they would definitely think the three of us are exhibitionists."

"Tch, there's nobody around in the mountains at night, what's there to be afraid of!" Hua Yinyin forcefully flung her hand away, "I'll take my clothes off first!"

So Mo Xueyao and Li Wanyan stared at her by the light of the candle.

But instead of taking it off, she refused.

"What are you all doing, staring at me?"

"I'll wait for you to give me a demonstration." Mo Xueyao touched her cheek and said with a mischievous smile.

"Ugh—no way, I won't be the first one, I'll rip off Xiaoyao's clothes first!"

"Hey, what are you doing!" Mo Xueyao felt a figure rushing towards her.

Finally, everyone extinguished the candles and, using the dim starlight and moonlight, removed their clothes.

Li Wanyan was the first to walk out gracefully. The sandals she had worn during the day could now be used as slippers.

Walking in the mountains like this gives me a strange feeling of being closer to nature, but I don't know if it's just a psychological effect.

"There shouldn't be anyone here, right?"

"Don't worry, you can't see it clearly anyway." Hua Yinyin waved her hand.

Actually, the mountaintop, bathed in moonlight and starlight, wasn't particularly dark; at least most things could be seen with a not-too-blurry outline.

Hua Yinyin even went to the highest, shortest slope on the mountaintop, put her hands on her hips, and looked down at the myriad lights of the houses behind the mountain.

"Roar roar roar~!"

"What are you doing?" Mo Xueyao asked, puzzled. Li Wanyan was scooping water from the well.

The kettle is quite large; it wouldn't be a bad idea to fill it with water and use it for a shower.

"Enjoy this feeling, it's so exhilarating! Little Yaoyao, do you want to try it?"

"No way! It's like you've been seen naked by the whole city."

"Pfft, how could you possibly see that from this far away!"

"Not always."

"Awooo—" Hua Yinyin wasn't scared or shy at all; instead, she let out a strange cry.

Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes at her: "Stop yelling, or you'll attract wild wolves."

"No way." She shook her head.

"I'm afraid it'll be a male wolf, and a lecherous one at that," Mo Xueyao joked.

"Hmph, what's there to be afraid of? Who can be more lecherous than me?"

"So you're actually quite self-aware?"

"Does Yaoyao want to wash her hair?" Li Wanyan asked gently, having scooped up some water.

"Wash it," Mo Xueyao replied matter-of-factly. "It's summer anyway, so it should dry easily even at night in the mountains."

"Ah."

"Ah, I brought soap!" Hua Yinyin suddenly shouted.

"Wait, where did you get that soap from? You weren't holding anything just now, were you?"

"Hehehe, guess?"

"Ugh—" Mo Xueyao shrank her neck. "You have a weird sense of humor. You can use it yourself."

"What? I just tucked it into my chest!" Hua Yinyin shouted. "Why bother? Isn't it nice to have a little milky scent?"

Mo Xueyao was speechless for a moment.

Perhaps, people like her are the true, open and free women of the new era...?

After washing her hair and body with Hua Yinyin's soap, Mo Xueyao then took charge of pouring water for the other two people.

They didn't return to the cabin until all three of them had finished washing and rinsing themselves clean.

Although there was no one in the mountains, the experience of bathing naked in the mountains was definitely exciting and novel.

Li Wanyan, on the other hand, remained calm and composed, as if she had simply arrived at a private open-air bath.

"Phew—taking a shower outside still makes my heart race a bit," Mo Xueyao said, shivering as she dried her hair with a towel.

"I think it's alright, but the well water is a bit cold... and there are so many mosquitoes!" Hua Yinyin complained. "I got bitten on the groin, ugh, those lecherous mosquitoes!"

"Hmm—maybe it's because your blood is easier to suck."

"What about the one on the chest? It's mostly fat there, there can't be much blood left, right?"

"Pfft, a lecherous mosquito and a lecherous silver-silver, isn't that a good match? They're a perfect pair!" Mo Xueyao laughed gleefully as she put on the underwear she had brought.

"Slap!" Just then, Li Wanyan suddenly slapped the wall hard, startling everyone.

"W-what's wrong?" Mo Xueyao even stammered a little.

There are mosquitoes.

"Isn't it unnecessary to make such a big fuss? Besides, is it even possible to take a picture in complete darkness?"

“Listen to the sound.” Li Wanyan said, lighting a candle. In the dim candlelight, a dead mosquito could be seen in her palm.

They actually managed to capture it.

She wiped her palms with a napkin, as if she had only accomplished a trivial task.

"Um..." Hua Yinyin seemed a little guilty for some reason. "So, how should we sleep next? I have a sleeping bag!"

"Using a sleeping bag in this hot summer?" Mo Xueyao rolled her eyes. "Aren't you afraid of dying from the heat?"

"Hmm...that makes sense. Then I'll just use it as a mat on the floor."

“Wanyan and I brought light blankets.” Mo Xueyao took out the light blankets from her schoolbag. Of course, she and Li Wanyan brought them separately.

"Oh, I don't have any! Give me some!"

"If you get cold, just crawl into your sleeping bag."

"What if you only want to cover your legs or stomach?"

"Then let's just cover it horizontally, it won't be too cold anyway," Mo Xueyao muttered, blowing out the candle. "Speaking of which, should we use a camping lamp? In case we fall asleep and forget to turn off the candle, and then start a fire or something."

"Don't worry, that kind of thing is highly unlikely to happen."

“If we cause a big fire, we’ll be arrested and jailed.” Mo Xueyao pinched her cheek. “Tsk, I suddenly think Yin Yin’s cheek is quite nice to pinch.”

"Well, you little Yao Yao, how dare you pinch my cheek?!"

Just then, as if in response to her words, Li Wanyan pinched the other half of her face.

"Damn it, you two teamed up to bully me!"

Mo Xueyao heard Li Wanyan's soft chuckle in the darkness, knowing that she was in a good mood today.

Although she thought it was a place where she could go hiking and stay overnight, Mo Xueyao was still worried that she would get bored.

After all, many of the jokes she and Hua Yinyin made were quite childish at times.

Actually, it wasn't that late, only a little past eight o'clock. None of the three of them were sleepy, so they simply leaned against another window and looked at the brilliant stars in the night sky together.

Hua Yinyin and Mo Xueyao identified the stars, and when they encountered anything uncertain or controversial, they would ask Li Wanyan for advice.

Li Wanyan seemed to recognize most of the stars.

"Ah, Wanyan, Wanyan, what is that?"

Which one?

"That one." Mo Xueyao made a square with her two hands, framing the star inside.

"I don't know. There are so many stars in the sky, how could I possibly know them all?"

"Hey, looks like an obscure star, but it looks quite unique."

"Is it the blue-purple one?" Hua Yinyin asked, placing a hand on Mo Xueyao's thigh—something the latter was already used to...

"Correct."

"It's quite beautiful, so why isn't it very well-known?"

"Hmm, could it be the Purple Star?"

"Who knows?"

"If the Big Dipper revolves around it, then it might be true." In comparison, Li Wanyan knew a little more.

"There are so many stars in the sky, and the ancients actually named so many of them. That's amazing."

Hua Yinyin nodded in agreement: "Otherwise, why would most people who could understand celestial phenomena in ancient times be able to use it to pretend to be gods and ghosts? Because it is indeed something that most people find difficult to remember."

Mo Xueyao did not answer, only her steady breathing could be heard.